What You Don't Know (Sequel to "Secret Love")(Hunter Hayes/James Marsden)

Wait a Moment

God Bless and Happy Reading!

He pressed his ear to the door, but not a wisp of a sound escaped. Several moments passed while he listened intently, but no noise gave clue to what was behind the wood. He reached tentatively for the doorknob, which turned without hesitation. This gave him pause, and he peered around the corner, hoping to see the intruder who had left the door unlocked.

Seeing no one, he progressed, shutting the door behind him with a silent, resolute click! He reached around his back and pressed the cold barrel of his six-shot pistol more firmly into the waist of his pants, securing it beneath his shirttail. Cautiously he stepped through the house, peeking around corners and eyeing the decor with disdain.

He stopped at the opening of the guest bathroom and poked his head in, only to quickly withdraw it when he noticed the girl occupying it. He waited a moment, forcing his limbs not to move, but readying himself to take flight should she come after him. He heard nothing: no movement, no breathing, not even a whispered, curious "Hello?"

Taking this as a cue, he leaned forward again and strained his eyes against the darkness of the room. There was no shortage of mystifying objects to draw the eye beyond and beneath the red-tinted lights, but his gaze strayed immediately to the brunette who appeared to have collapsed against the wall. Her legs were wrapped close to her chest, and her eyes were fixated on something in front of her, too far away for him to see from his vantage point.

He watched her for a moment longer, the slight swing of her wavy hair as she rocked gently to and fro, shock evident on her beautiful face. Then he receded, backing into the hall closet to wait. He had decided not to interfere, not yet. If things went as planned, he would have the perfect angle to watch it unfold.

'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'

Darryl knew Trenton's cab was right behind his, and he prodded his driver to hurry. When he finally did reach the building, his heartbeat was sky high, and he pumped all of his adrenaline into his legs, sprinting full-out up the stairs and down the hall. He refused to pause to question why the door was unlocked, not even taking a moment to close it. He stormed through the house, calling Bethany's name with as much energy as he could muster.

He ran straight to her side when he saw her curled into a ball on the floor, and he tried to make her look at him. Her eyes were empty, dead to the world. He spoke anyway, hitting her lightly, pinching her arms, trying to wake her from her stupor.

"Bethany, listen! Trent is on his way up right now and he's going to kill you! Bethany, wake up! You have to get out of here! Bethany, WAKE UP! I'm not who you think I am, I swear. Bethany, you have to WAKE UP! Be-"

His plea was cut off, the sound of a single gunshot ringing through the air. Bethany shot back to the present just in time to see Trenton standing in the doorway, lowering his gun and breathing heavily.

Darryl had collapsed beside her, a bloody hole through his neck. A scream stuck in her throat as Trenton raised his gun again and started toward her.

"Beth," he sputtered, still gasping for air. "Usually, I'd just get down to brass tax, but I've been running after this idiot," Trenton kicked Darryl for effect, "and I'm tired. Plus, I'm expecting company. So, you'll just have to wait a moment."